Summer Skin
by mannequin doll
Summary: Future-fic, AU. "I lay awake at night thinking that marrying her was the wrong choice." A new twist on an old triangle- Lucas/Brooke/Peyton with bits of Nathan/Haley thrown in.
1. Summer Skin

**Summer Skin**

"_I lay awake at night thinking that marrying her was the wrong choice."_

**Disclaimer: **All characters owned by the CW and Mark Schwann._  
_**Rating: **PG-13**  
Summary: **AU Future. A new twist on an old triangle- Lucas/Brooke/Peyton with bits of Nathan/Haley thrown in.

* * *

Lucas Scott isn't good with decisions. Not when he filled out his college applications, not when he pulled his father out of a blazing fire, and certainly not when he's forced to choose between two beautiful girls.

He has three things right now. He has a best friend. He has a good friend. And he has a girlfriend.

The first time around, he chose Peyton Sawyer, the beautiful, tortured blonde who was looking for a way to escape. Then, he chose Brooke Davis, the gorgeous, bubbly brunette who was going to help _him_ escape. And through it all stood Haley James, the girl next door who had ended up marrying his brother.

Lucas Scott isn't good with decisions. This time around, both Brooke and Peyton are in love with him. Lucas Scott isn't good with decisions.

He picks Peyton.

* * *

The wedding comes right after high school ends. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise, because his brother and best friend married even younger. But it is.

Lucas broods, and Peyton broods, and it's just one big brooding fest before it even begins. Brooke has finally forgiven them for breaking her heart, _again_, and she teases Peyton. "Do you want your wedding dress to be black? That's going to be the mood, isn't it?" Peyton laughs, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes.

Brooke has started calling both of them Broody.

The dress is white, and so are the flowers. Brooke stands next to her best friend, and she wonders how it's possible that she's been the maid of honor for both of her best friends' weddings, both of them to boys she's slept with herself.

She wonders if she'll ever get her grand white wedding. Peyton is beautiful, but she hardly looks good in white.

Lucas is handsome, but not so much when his smile looks forced.

They say _I Do_, and they exchange rings, but not hearts.

* * *

The book comes right after he graduates college.

He waxes poetic about Peyton and their love, but what catches the perky brunette's eye is the smallest passage in the book.

_She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday. I'm not sure she even knows it._

Haley has Nathan, and Peyton has Lucas (or at least she thinks she does), but Brooke Davis doesn't need anyone but herself.

She's going to do just fine in the real world.

* * *

The phone calls come right after her fashion line goes worldwide. She recognizes his breathing; she doesn't think she'll ever forget it. All their late night calls from high school serve as a burning memory in her mind.

Lighting the flame is easy; it's taking out the fire that's hard. "Congratulations," he says softly, and she smiles just because of it.

"Well, someone once told me I was going to change the world," she replies cheekily, but she knows this is wrong. This is wrong, wrong, wrong because Peyton trusts her and she shouldn't be having late night conversations with her best friend's husband.

Things are different now. This isn't high school.

At the press party for _Clothes Over Bros_, Haley James Scott glances at Brooke like she knows a secret, and she shakes her head disappointedly.

When she does, Brooke has to look away.

* * *

Lucas and Nathan Scott share the same last name, but they are hardly alike.

In high school, both were jocks but Lucas was soft-spoken, kind and had an alluring quality about him. Nathan was outgoing, loud and slightly stereotypical. At least, until Haley James came along.

At the moment, Haley is reading a book to Jamie, and the boys are playing basketball in the Scott backyard. It's almost like they're back at Tree Hill High.

Nathan plays for the NBA now, but Lucas stays reserved in his home, planning his second novel while his brother cares for his family and plays on television. "How are things with Hales and Jamie?" Lucas asks.

"Good. Everything's good," Nathan smirks, but it's more of a smile. "You and Peyton?"

Lucas wishes he spent more time with his best friend since childhood, but growing up is hard enough as it is. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Nathan wants to laugh and call his brother gay for gossiping, but he has a feeling it's something serious, so he keeps a straight face and nods.

"Sometimes, I lay awake at night thinking that marrying her was the wrong choice," Lucas admits. "I don't know what to do."

"Brooke?"

"Is it that obvious?" Lucas sighs. "What do I do?"

Nathan shrugs. "I'm your brother, not your shrink."

And that is that.

* * *

"I love you, Luke," Peyton smiles as they lay in bed together one dark night.

"What's wrong?" he asks, turning to face her as she smiles tearfully at him. This marriage- it's killing him, but he thought he had made her happy. He can't believe he's been so blind to know that it's killing her too. These tears are surely a sign of regret.

But he's wrong. They're tears of joy, but he wishes they weren't because the next two words she utters are going to change his life forever.

"I'm pregnant."

He rolls back over to face the wall. Suddenly, he can't breathe.

* * *

"She's pregnant," he says blankly.

Brooke Davis smiles sadly. "Is she excited for the baby?"

She's gone through a series of crash and burn relationships, and none of them seem to stick. She's successful, but she's not happy, and she's a lot more like Lucas than she thinks.

Lucas shrugs. "Yeah. She's really happy."

"Are you?"

Lucas looks at her, all brown hair and hazel eyes and dimples. It's _Brooke_, and Peyton is _Peyton_, and he doesn't know what to do. He takes her face into his hands, and he kisses her like he should be kissing his wife.

He feels _alive_.

They reason that summer has always been their season, the season of _LucasandBrooke_, the reconciliation, or _LucasandBrooke,_ the break up.

Lucas Scott has three things now. He has a best friend. He has a wife. And he has a lover.

Lucas Scott isn't good with decisions.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Ideas, comments, suggestions? Leave reviews, please.


	2. Winter Wonderland

**Chapter Two: Winter Wonderland**

**Disclaimer: **All characters owned by the CW and Mark Schwann._  
_**Rating: **PG-13**  
Summary: **AU Future. A new twist on an old triangle- Lucas/Brooke/Peyton with bits of Nathan/Haley thrown in.  
**Author's Notes: **I wasn't planning on continuing this, but then my head got working and I thought, "Why not make it a story of the seasons?" So it will be four chapters long as of now. Thanks, and review, please!

* * *

An affair. It couldn't be defined as anything else- what Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis were having, what they were doing when no one else was looking. Infidelity, really.

Wonder what Peyton Sawyer Scott would call it, her best friend and husband with tangled limbs in her master bedroom, acting like they were still in high school.

Peyton's stomach was getting bigger, just slightly; barely noticeable to the naked eye. But Lucas noticed, and seeing it- seeing their unborn baby- it was mocking him, taunting him. He wasn't fit to be a father. Hell, he wasn't fit to be a husband.

But then he glances at his wife's smile, wide and bright and one of the many things he first fell in love with, and he can't bear to leave. He can't leave, he can't leave his kid, he can't leave Peyton and that's the one thing separating him and Brooke Davis from true love.

There are two things in this world: fantasy and reality.

Lucas Scott gets a little of both.

* * *

Brooke Davis moves back to Tree Hill after staying in Milan for a year. No one knows why, except the brooding blonde haired boy, but Haley James Scott has a hunch.

The two former roommates mend their friendship and they heal old wounds, but Haley has grown accustomed to seeing curly blonde hair in her best friend's house, and not shiny brown locks. She doesn't know _what _Lucas is doing, but she knows it isn't right.

"Tutor Girl, hey!" Brooke's smile is radiant, and she's glowing.

Haley wrinkles her nose and cocks her head to the side at the brunette standing in Lucas and Peyton's home. "Hey Brooke. What are you doing here?"

"I'm spending the day with Peyton," she smiles, and Haley raises her eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm spending the day with Lucas."

* * *

It's winter, and it's freezing cold in Tree Hill. "P. Sawyer!"

Peyton stumbles down the stairs, wrapped in a heavy blanket and she laughs at the sight of her best friend, bundled up in winter clothes.

"Scott, really. You'd think you'd get used to it, B. Davis," the blonde teases, sitting down on her dark red couch, motioning for Brooke to join her.

"Oh, right- 'cause you're married," Brooke throws her head back and laughs. "You don't get tired of it? I mean, do you really think you have what you did in high school?"

Peyton narrows her eyes and looks at her questioningly. "Do you ever think of settling down?" she shoots back.

Brooke shrugs. "Sometimes, yeah." And then she smiles to herself, but berates herself for it later because she cannot be daydreaming about her best friend's husband and their affair in front of her best friend.

"So how's my goddaughter doing?" Brooke smiles, glancing down at Peyton's stomach. And she can't hide the fact that she is excited for her friend; she just never thought the blonde would be pregnant with the boy she loved.

"Shh- not so loud, Brooke. I told you, I don't want Lucas to know. We said we'd keep it a secret," Peyton hushes her and glances up the stairs to make sure her husband is still sleeping soundly, hopefully.

Brooke nods apologetically, her mind reverting to the memory of Peyton frantically calling her and informing her that the doctor had spilled the beans by accident, and she was having a little girl due on May 3. Oh, joy.

"But anyway, you and Haley are going to make great godmothers," Peyton grins, and she throws her arms around her friend.

Brooke raises her eyebrows. "Haley's also going to be a godmother to mini Peyton?"

"Of course. Haley and I have grown really close; being married to the Scott boys is a hassle, you know," Peyton laughs.

Brooke feels a tug in her stomach, because she's never had to share her best friend before and _it could've been her_, sharing married life stories with Haley, and it could be her, making Peyton a godmother to her and Lucas's baby.

It could've, should've, would've _been her_.

* * *

Jake Jagielski returns, and he hasn't aged a bit. With him he has little Jenny, who's only a year older than Jamie Scott, and they're all sitting in Nathan and Haley's living room.

"So, Jake, are you married?" Haley asks curiously, her husband's hand atop hers lovingly. While they are sitting next to each other, Peyton and Lucas are sitting on opposite ends of the table, Peyton's hand on her stomach and Lucas's on his silverware.

Peyton glances at Jake when he answers, "No. Just haven't found her yet," he smiles softly.

Brooke looks to Peyton to see if her facial expression has changed; to see if she cares about the warmhearted, dark-haired boy anymore. Peyton just smiles.

Jake turns his attention to his ex girlfriend. "So, Peyt, you guys excited for the baby?" he grins, and Peyton lets out a sigh of relief at the fact that he's not going to bring up old, awkward times like any other ex boyfriend would've done.

Lucas looks at Peyton and he smiles widely. "Definitely, I can't wait."

Brooke can't help but put her two cents in, especially after she's had a margarita or two. "Their little girl is going to be the best kid ever. No offense to Jenny," Brooke giggles loudly.

Nathan and Haley exchange worried looks, and Jake smiles, but Lucas turns his hard gaze to Peyton, who is openmouthed and glaring at Brooke.

"I want one of those," Brooke slurs as Jamie comes up to the table, observing Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton having a heated conversation.

Nathan announces that they're going up to tuck Jamie in, and he and Haley leave the table with their son, looking every bit the happy family.

Lucas and Peyton, however, are another story. "I thought we were going to let it be a surprise," Lucas grits out.

"Well, I thought so too until the stupid doctor you chose blurted it out!" Peyton replies, just as angry. "And I told this one to keep her mouth shut," she adds, pointing to Brooke.

"This has nothing to do with her," Lucas yells. "This is your fault, and you know it."

This is the most attention he's given Peyton in months.

* * *

"I think he's having an affair," Peyton admits.

Haley looks at her friend worriedly, and lays her hand comfortingly on top of the other girl's arm. "Why would you say that?"

"He resents me, Haley. He does- I see it in his eyes. You should know- the eyes tell all. I don't know who it is; maybe it's his editor," Peyton sighs, running a hand through her golden locks.

Haley shakes her head. "Lindsay? She's the sweetest thing alive. I'm sure he's just buried in the novel, Peyt. It's nothing."

"How do you do it, Haley? How do you do _this_? This kid is going to have an absentee father because he's out having sex with another woman," Peyton cries, looking down at her growing stomach.

"You remember that junior year of high school. You were going out with Nathan, and Lucas was the only boy I was remotely close with. But you and me- we were connected through them. We still are. And Luke wouldn't do that to you, because he has his brother in him, and Nathan wouldn't do that to me. I used to think of it as the other way around, but I guess things change," Haley says softly.

Peyton smiles, her eyes still watering. "You ask me how I do this?" Haley asks. "I have fate that everything will be okay."

"Peyton, Lucas is my best friend. I know him, probably better than anyone. _He is not having an affair_." She says it with as much conviction as she can, but the words sound unpromising even to her own ears.

Neither of them notice a hovering Brooke Davis on the porch, with the front door slightly open.

* * *

"Lucas, she's onto us."

Lucas doesn't let Brooke get in another word edgewise because then he's pushing her against the wall, devouring her lips with his and it's passionate, romantic, and everything she always wanted it to be.

Her shirt rides up and his shirt is off, and she feels their bare skin against each other for just a moment before he thrusts into her.

It's always like this- quick and fast and in the heat of the moment, but she hopes that one day, it will mean more to him.

One day, it will mean more for them.

* * *

"Do you think they're happy, Nathan?" Haley wonders.

Jamie is on a play date with a friend from school, and Nathan and Haley both have the day off from coaching and teaching, respectively.

"Lucas and Peyton, I mean," Haley clarifies, and Nathan looks at her, contemplating the question.

"You worry too much, Hales," he smirks and he brings her into his chest and he kisses the top of her head.

"Do you think they're happy, Nathan? Like us?"

"No one's as happy as us," he promises before kissing her on the lips and then she's laughing and all thoughts of Peyton and Lucas fly out of her head.

* * *

"Do you remember that time in fourth grade, when we built that huge snow fort on a Snow Day?" Peyton reminisces.

Brooke grins, her pearly whites sparkling under the sky. It's a white Christmas this year in Tree Hill; that much is obvious.

"How could I forget? It was like the safest place in the world," she confesses.

"So anyway, Luke and I were thinking of having the annual Christmas get-together at our house this year," Peyton says. "And you being the amazing party planner you are-"

Brooke says yes before Peyton even gets the chance to ask.

Peyton asks Brooke to go over the financial situation of how much the party will cost with Lucas when Peyton is out on a business trip.

Her Party Bible and his check book are lying on the floor discarded, and Brooke is up against the wall again, this time naked, but it's the same old story.

She wonders how much it would cost her if she let their secret out of the bag.

* * *

Everyone shows up at the soiree.

"Jeez, this gives our parties a run for our money," Haley teases, as she and Nathan are known for throwing most of the family celebrations.

Peyton shrugs with a laugh. "Well, with the little one coming, I thought we might as well start acting like a family."

Lucas is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Brooke.

* * *

Brooke is riding him harder than ever before, and he loves every minute of it. He loves the fact that they could get caught any second now, and he loves her big eyes and loud laugh that's vibrating against the wall.

This is his fantasy.

But then she collapses on top of him, and their moment of euphoria is over, and they sober up.

"Peyton's pregnant," Brooke sighs.

This is his reality.

* * *

Author's Notes: I don't know if I like it, but let me know what you guys think and tell me if you think I should continue into Spring, haha.


	3. Fall Flashback

**Chapter Three: Fall Flashback  
Disclaimer: **All characters owned by the CW and Mark Schwann._  
_**Rating: **PG-13**  
Summary: **AU Future. A new twist on an old triangle- Lucas/Brooke/Peyton with bits of Nathan/Haley thrown in.**  
A/N**: Hey, so I don't know how many people actually like this story…eh. I'm continuing just because I got some inspiration, but I realized I totally skipped the season of fall for the last chapter, so I'm making it a flashback one. It's a total filler chapter, but the real drama happens in the next one. Stay tuned if you please!

* * *

Lucas Scott was eight when he first met Haley James. She stuck out like a sore thumb in their class of third graders, with her hand me down clothes and innocent smile.

He found himself walking over to her one day. "Hi," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Luke."

She looked at it, as if pausing to think if she should take it, and finally she accepted it and shook his hand firmly with her own. "I'm Haley."

* * *

From that day on, it seemed the duo never went anywhere without the other attached. Haley found Lucas staring at a certain girl on numerous occasions. "That's Peyton," she offered.

Lucas nodded. "I know. I've liked her for awhile," he admitted, a slight red tint coloring his face.

They were in sixth grade then. "I think she has a boyfriend," Haley told him sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know," Lucas said simply. Haley looked at her friend worriedly.

They both watched in silence as a raven-haired boy walked up to the curly blonde and kissed her on the cheek.

"He's cute," Haley observed, her own face coloring slightly.

Lucas looked at her curiously before turning his gaze back to the couple. "He's my brother."

* * *

Haley had heard the story about Dan Scott too many times to count, but it never got old.

Lucas had to recite it to everyone- to every new friend he made, to every new girl he went out with. It must get old, Haley had thought.

"Do you ever want to get to know him?" Haley asked him when they were lounging at the Rivercourt one day in mid fall; the beginning of their freshman year at Tree Hill High.

"I used to," Lucas confessed. "But I'm just the Bastard Spawn to him, you know?"

Oh, Haley knew. She knew how Nathan and his crew of friends tortured and teased Lucas till he was at his wit's end.

They stayed like that, sitting on the picnic table, until the Sun finally set and the leaves stopped turning a multitude of colors.

* * *

"Hi! I'm Brooke," a bubbly brunette greeted Haley enthusiastically on a fall day in her sophomore year.

Haley cocked her head to the side. "I know. I'm Haley."

"Oh, H. James!" Brooke squealed. "I've never seen you around. You should totally hang out with me and my friends."

Haley smiled softly, knowing Brooke only noticed her because she thought Lucas was hot. "If you like him so badly, why don't you just talk to him?"

Brooke's face flushed. "Because he likes Peyton, and I'd never do that to her," she said honestly. Brooke Davis was nothing if not honest.

"Oh." There wasn't really anything anyone could say to that.

* * *

"I'm Nathan."

"I know."

"Do you not like me or something?" the tall, handsome boy asked, scratching his head confusedly. "Did I do something to you? Oh my God, did we sleep together?"

Haley rolled her eyes at his cockiness. "No, I'm your brother's best friend."

"Don't call him that," Nathan froze.

"Don't talk to me," she replied.

* * *

"You're Brooke, right?" Lucas asked nervously as he walked up to Brooke Davis on the first day of his junior year of high school.

Brooke looked surprised. "Yeah, hi. You're Luke," she observed.

Lucas nodded shyly. "Right. So, I just joined the Ravens, and you're a cheerleader…I was wondering…" he trailed off.

Brooke bit her lip from screaming out loud. This was it! He was actually going to ask her out. Oh, my God.

"I was wondering if you could talk to Peyton for me. I know you're her best friend, and I know she and Nathan just broke up or something. Or at least that's what I've heard from my friend Haley. She could be wrong. I don't know," Lucas rambled incoherently.

Brooke's smile dropped. "No, yeah, sure. I'll talk to her for you."

"Alright, thanks, Pretty Girl," Lucas smiled, more confident now.

Brooke glanced at him questioningly. "You're pretty," Lucas said in defense.

Brooke felt herself glowing. "Later Broody."

* * *

"You like Tutor Girl!" Brooke squealed at her latest revelation. She and Nathan were sitting in their Physics class, where a substitute was teaching. Their teacher had been on maternity leave for most of the beginning of fall.

"You like Lucas!" Nathan hissed back.

"Whatever," Brooke sing-songed. "Once I get TG out of that hideous poncho, she's gonna look _hot_! You won't know what hit you, Nate."

Nathan shook his head and laughed. "You're one of a kind, Davis."

"That's what he said," she giggled.

* * *

It's not until the start of their senior year that Peyton and Lucas really hang out. Over the course of the past year, Nathan and Haley have gotten together and broken up, and the cycle repeated until they finally tie the knot. Brooke and Lucas became friends, as did Brooke and Haley and Peyton.

But Peyton and Lucas had never really hung out alone. Lucas finds that he likes her company, he really does, but he prefers spending time with her cheery best friend.

"You like Brooke, don't you?" the blonde asked knowingly, a smile gracing her lips.

Who knew fall was the season for lovers?

* * *

_Present Time_;

Lucas Scott remembers a lot of things from his past. He remembers autumns spent frolicking in piles of leaves with Haley. He remembers Thanksgivings with his mom and Keith. He remembers the first fall he and Nathan ever acknowledged their brotherhood, the first fall he met Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer and everyone else he'd come to know and love.

He remembers a lot of things from his past, but there's nothing he remembers more than Brooke Davis lying in his arms in the middle of their sweaty affair.

The last thing he remembers this fall is waking up to see Peyton Sawyer Scott glaring at him when she finds him lying in bed with her best friend.


End file.
